[Thread] Another day goes by
Characters: OU!Shadow the Hedgehog, OPEN
Where: Apartment building 2 roof
When: Afternoon, during song!plot
Summary: Hedgehog has some thinking to do.
Warnings: None
( And I don't understand or know the reasons why )
Where: Apartment building 2 roof
When: Afternoon, during song!plot
Summary: Hedgehog has some thinking to do.
Warnings: None
( And I don't understand or know the reasons why )
It was another irony that her thoughts lately had followed similar lines to Shadow's own, if only she'd known it. The disappearance of the newest incarnation of the Princess made Econtra a little safer from threats she was bound to deal with as problems originating her world (or worlds like it), but she - unlike the black hedgehog - had given her word to do something for Econtra. She could have considered it fulfilled after the last attack, perhaps, but she had chosen otherwise. And an attack at the moment of any strange occurrence keeping people from being able to respond clearly and at their best, was likely to destroy the city even quicker than was already likely to happen. It was mildly frustrating; she didn't like it. Even with her own allies, the ones she had full confidence in the abilities of, it would be difficult going.
Even the simple sight of the black hedgehog was mildly discomforting. But haven't I betrayed everyone? She'd had a modicum of trust from him, once. She didn't regret the power she'd gained, but in her current state it was hard to ignore the method.
"It's been awhile." The blue-haired girl's lips quirked upward in that trademark half-amused smirk anyway.
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It was a little less acceptable, however, to have his thoughts interrupted by his once-roommate, whom he'd lost all respect for when she and that other human girl of about the same age had conspired to steal his Emerald. It was difficult for most to ever receive his trust; it would be near-impossible for her to regain it, if that was what she sought.
The hedgehog shot the girl a look as cold as the ice she controlled, and said nothing. If she wanted something, she would have to say so, and make a damned good case for it.
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The roof was two things to her: The roof was a place of loneliness (but also familiarity), consigned to those days when she'd spent her time there alone while the others in her school laughed and had fun with their friends; the roof was a place for introspection, for those times she couldn't help chasing herself.
Mercury looked across the parts of the city visible from this vantage (not as much as she'd have preferred). A slight breeze stirred the air and her hair. She didn't mind the ever-so-slight chill creeping into the wind as summer died to birth fall.
"What do you see, when you look at them?" she asked, perhaps irrelevantly. She was still looking out, looking down, making it obvious she meant the city as a whole.
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What, indeed? There were many words to describe them, as they meandered pointlessly. It was no wonder a single Entropi had managed to wreak such havoc. If one were to appear right now in the center of the plaza, he could count at least twenty individuals that would likely be killed within ten seconds of its arrival. It would serve no purpose to be constantly paranoid, but anyone with a modicum of intelligence would at least be cautious, customarily. Unfortunately, judging by how unobservant and ill-prepared the residents had proven themselves time and time again, he had reason to doubt they even thought that far ahead.
"Humans," he grumbled, but it was clear from his tone that it was not a trivial statement based on the majority species, but a cynical way of describing the attributes of those in the city. Lazy, oblivious, complacent, inane - it was as if they were sheep, except that at least sheep had the excuse of being non-sentient.
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"So when the next attack comes to wipe them out," she wondered aloud, still not looking at Shadow directly, "What will you do?"
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Because really, did she expect she could just show up and start up a conversation as if they were friends? He didn't care for idle chat anyway, even if someone he cared something for was the one asking. Mercury had no need to know his business, and he saw no reason whatsoever to tell her about it.
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His reaction told her plenty. He was a competent person, and knew it. If he intended to be very cooperative, he would have shared at least the basics of that with her for practical reasons. So, likely he intended to keep to himself - or rather, since he seemed to regard them highly, himself and his allies. It was much like she herself had once viewed things, with the admission that he was less likely to be as confrontational about it as she had been. That had been a long time ago.
"That way I know how to view you when that time comes." Ally, neutral, or even threat if he was the sort to take advantage of the confusion to hurt Econtra as a whole. Mercury's voice, as usual, held little emotion or even involvement, though it was strong and firm.
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"My actions will depend on the situation," he said. "But I won't stand aside and do nothing."
Most likely, he figured, he would do as before. Fight to protect those he wished to protect, but also, fight to learn more about the enemy and its weaknesses. His original goal of escape had not changed, but the more he knew about the Entropi, the better he would be at guarding Maria. The others, too, but if for some reason he had to choose and not even the ability to stop time or warp space would prevent making such a choice, there was no question in his mind as to who he would save.
"What will you do?" If she was going to ask him questions, then she had better be willing to answer them, herself.
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As much as she hated the idea of being penned in, labeled as only one thing, wasn't it true? 'My one redeeming feature is studying' wasn't that different from 'fighting is the only reason for your existence now'.
"Before that, if it's necessary, I'll prepare provisions and organize some of these people. I have a world I want to return to, and the chances of that are better if these people stay alive longer."
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So she was going to take the slow route, was she? Like most others, she wanted out, and like most others, she was choosing to make that happen through a glorified version of sitting and waiting. Mercury probably didn't see it that way, but assuming that the residents of Econtra would be allowed to return upon the end of the war was a big assumption indeed - and one held by most in the compound. There was no evidence that ending the war would get them sent home. And based on what it took to defeat one Entropi alone before, there seemed to be little promise that these hostages-come-soldiers would be capable of taking on more than one at once. So much for being the last hope for the planet.
Better to work actively to escape, Shadow believed. If only he could get the cuff off, then he could get out. And if he could get ahold of another Emerald, he might just be able to get himself home, once he was free.
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"Doing something is better than doing nothing. While a way to leave is worked on, it's best to stay alive."
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He'd said himself, he wasn't just going to sit around and do nothing. He wasn't so concerned for his own life as he was for those in his care, however. The Entropi could burn and electrocute him all they liked, if it meant keeping his sister safe. He'd survived a fall through the atmosphere and the resulting collision with the Earth's surface before. This was nothing in comparison.
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Mercury passed the unpleasant thoughts by.
"However," she continued, "No one knew where it came from, that creature that entered our world. It possessed an enormous power, but needed life-energy to be able to revive completely. It appeared as something like a ball of light, and it's difficult to think of fighting it; normal weapons don't work and energy or magical attacks can be absorbed."
A pause. "Does that sound familiar?"
Of course it would, or should, and she continued again without waiting for confirmation. "Econtra itself is endangering other worlds if that creature really is an Entropi. It's not unthinkable that it would happen to still more worlds in the future -- or past, since it arrived in ours a thousand years ago by our reckoning. So for now there might be something that needs to be done here anyway."
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If he were home, he wouldn't be shackled by that cuff, limited by the wall. He would have the Emeralds at his disposal, and an entire planetful of allies with their own capabilities. Tails and the good Doctor would be able to design any energy-depleting weapon possible, and Rouge could investigate the Professor's old files for anything that he might have thought of half a century ago. Backed by the military, they could produce such weapons in large numbers as necessary. And he and Sonic, charged with Chaos and approaching godhood in their own right, would charge ahead, leading the fight. That was how it was supposed to be.
Instead, he was stuck here in this pitiful place. And if it wasn't for dreams of home and for Maria, perhaps he would have been consumed with apathy by now.
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She'd found her answer in her past. She'd been born to protect that same pathetic race in her world, those short-lived humans who had all the worst traits she associated with Econtra now. It had been because they'd needed it. Saying they'd be easily wiped out wasn't just being arrogant or disdainful; she'd seen it happen once the Princess - who should have been one of the ones protecting them - took all their lives at once in exchange for Endymion's death. She didn't want it to repeat, that ending, so many important people lost. Not even here.
Like Shadow, she'd have found it much easier in her world - if she could become someone capable of persuading the Dark Kingdom that what she'd learned here about their future and fates was true. As she had been back then, there was no chance of it. To them she was the capricious, ill-tempered, arrogant slave of a man whose arrogance dwarfed even hers and who'd made himself no friends by his open contempt for them all (when he wasn't using them to further his own plans). Who'd listen to Kunzite's slave? But they'd have to, if a future was to be achieved.
I can't just be that selfish girl. She hadn't been very successful at changing that yet, just a little bit, but it was true for so many reasons. To go on that way would make her lose here and in her world both.
"I wasn't saying it to argue with you," she commented idly, still watching the city for the most part. The silence had grown long before she'd spoken, probably noticeable. "Even if I don't know your reasons, I know there are reasons to decide that."
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The silence had been nice, but he'd known better than to expect it would last. It seemed to him that Mercury had always liked to hear herself talk.
Beyond his simple acknowledgment of her having said something, though, he felt no need to respond. Of course he had reasons, and no, he didn't feel it necessary to share them. He'd given someone who didn't deserve the time of day from him more attention than he needed to, already.
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